The idea of space tourism might not seem overly significant and perhaps a bit superfluous at present, and that's understandable. But it is not the purpose of these spaceflights that carries weight, it is the movement and the vision that they represent, a movement that began with Burt Ruttan's first private sector, X-prize winning flight in 2003. Humanity feels a destiny in the stars and won't wait around for government sanctioned action to get there. Already, work is near completion on Spaceport America, the New Mexico location that the Virgin Galactic flights will take off and land from. Commerce, that driving force of the Western world, will soon drive humans further out into space, whether it be for tourism or for mining minerals on the Moon.

So is it superfluous? Perhaps. But I certainly wouldn't mind a seat on one of those flights.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Follow me

About Me

I'm a writer, scholar, and researcher in the Chicago area. I have an M.A. in Writing from DePaul University. What do I write? Science fiction mostly. What do I research? Rhetoric and composition theory, all things Fortean...as well as other unpopular things.
Follow me on Facebook